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Byakuya gaze falls upon the body in which lays limp against the Rec Room couch. Although he had knew that what he would find after Monokuma’s dead body announcement, he hadn’t completely the time to mentally prepare himself. Staring at the boy he once grew fond of now lay completely still, his skin cold to the touch made Byakyua feel something in which he was foreign in.
Makoto’s stiff body allowed a cold ambiance to flow throughout the building. The others in the room couldn’t help but tremble, Makoto was someone in which they had all grown soft for. His presence brought light to a gloomy room, his smile made even the saddest of people feel warmth inside. He was that person who you could talk to about anything, and even if words weren’t exchanged he still brought along his strangely comforting presence. This presence had become the normal for Byakuya, and now seeing as this presence has turned cold… he just couldn’t.
However in such moment of despair he had lost all words to speak, it’s strange how the thought of who did this never crossed his mind. The only thought on his mind was the fact that he was gone. Dead. Makoto would never come back, he’d never hear that defensive voice throughout each trial, never hear him speak off his mind whilst Byakuya was “reading.” How those gazes that they both knew they would never act on were exchanged, how they would never make his heart flutter again and the laughs they would never share together again. Even their deep conversations. Byakuya would never stay up late with Makoto in the library ever again.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
“Hey Byakuya… What do you think is really going on in the outside world?” Makoto asked, his voice as soft as the dim light that alluded him. Their gazes both carried a sense of comfort with each other as they sat face-to-face with their legs entangled with one another’s. In any other case Byakuya would’ve been revolted at the idea of sitting on the floor, however, he didn’t so mind it when it was with Makoto.
“I don’t know, it could be anything. All we know is whatever is happening is pure despair.” Byakuya spoke honestly, his voice quiet enough for only the one in front of him to hear.
“You know that video… The one that Monokuma used as our first motivation.”
“Mn” Byakuya hummed in acknowledgement silently nodding along.
His brows creased slightly as Makoto began to rub his thumb along Byakuya’s knee. His gaze looked distant as he looked down at the leg his hand was placed upon.
“The video showed me my family… in the end they- they…” Makoto trailed off, however he didn’t need to finish his sentence. Byakuya knew. In this moment Byakuya couldn’t help but feel empathy for him, something that was new and strange to him.
“I know,” is all Byakuya muttered before reaching out to intertwine their hands. Grasping Makoto’s dry and cracked hand with his soft and moisturized one. The feeling felt so understood, as if this is all they had known in the first place.
Together they sat there in silent, the only noises were those of their breathing. Byakuya thought in that moment that Makoto could probably hear his heat beating out his chest. However the two of them made no more peruse, sitting their hand-in-hand, their eyes connected. Byakuya wishes time could have stopped completely. He wished to have stayed in that moment forever. Their souls felt as if they had known each other for centuries ahead of their time. They were bound to be together.
Or that was just what the two of them dreamed of.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
However, their dreams died along with Makoto. Words have been left unsaid and feeling had been left to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Never to reach the surface. This reality caused Byakuya’s chest to tighten, however his composure hadn’t faltered.
Byakuya simply stood still in frame as a frenzy of despair took over the room. After a while the others had begun to investigate the scene, trying to find anything to avenge Makoto. Knowing someone in the room had killed him brought rage to them all.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and began investigating the scene himself, however he had made it a point for himself to avoid looking at Makoto or investigating too close in his proximity. Being in the same room as the former already was hard enough and he feared if he got too close he would lose the ability to remain composed.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Byakuya sat tirelessly was seating in the library reading yet another one of his mystery novels. No matter how predictable they were they never failed to intrigue him in some way or another. Glued into his book since the early morning he hadn’t done anything else. He knew this, he knew he should get up, eat something and entertain himself in another way. But he just seemed to be so stuck into the book he lost motivation to do anything else.
This was until his reading was interrupted by a turn of the library door handle. Following this was the door creaking open to reveal a certain brunette holding a bowl of ramen and a pair of chopsticks. The former smiled as Byakuya sighed and put his book down, his attention fixed onto Makoto.
“Hey Byakuya!” Makoto cheerfully began as he closed the door behind him and made his way over to the vacant seat opposite of Byakuya. Placing the bowl of ramen and chopsticks in front of the other, “I noticed you hadn’t gone out to eat today.”
Byakuya’s lips parted as he looked down at the bowl, it was strange. Although for growing up in a house and family of riches and servants, not once has one of them noticed if he had skipped any meals. If anything they provided him with dietary foods as to keep up their name and reputation in an attempt to keep Byakuya in ‘shape’.
But Makoto noticed he hadn’t eaten and brought ramen. In any other case Byakuya would’ve been disgusted by the ramen as it was noticeably a cup one – as he had grown up on only freshly organic made foods. So, instead of saying anything he just picked up the chopsticks and began to eat the ramen.
He couldn’t help but smiled slightly, which did not go unnoticed by Makoto, however was left unsaid.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Finishing the trial, Byakuya could only simply stare at the framed picture of Makoto in the trial room. Makoto was the traitor. There was no killer.
It was Makoto himself that took his own life.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
The two of them were seated on the Rec room couch, the both allowed the tension of the day to finally ease in each other’s presence. Makoto’s head lay rested atop of Byakuya’s shoulder. The position was admittedly uncomfortable for Makoto, but just having the physical aspect of Byakuya’s presence made up for it. Byakuya however was so tired from the day that instead of getting flustered he simply rested his head on top of Makoto’s.
“Byakuya,” Makoto whispered in a slightly saddened voice.
“Mn” he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning more into Makoto.
“I- I didn’t realize how bad the confessions could be. I mean… Mondo’s was that that he killed his brother. I-“ Makoto sighed, “mine is so stupid compared to what the others must’ve been.”
Byakuya lifted his head and glanced down at the brown head of hair. “I mean, the whole point of it was to motivate them into killing someone. It had to be bad… what was yours?”
Makoto finally glanced up at Byakuya, resting his chin on his shoulder before his face turned red and he buried himself deep into Byakuya’s neck. He mumbled something inaudible, getting a confused response from Byakuya as he had no idea what is was or what it could be. Makoto doesn’t seem like someone to hold secret, always appearing vulnerable when talking to anyone. If Makoto’s secret caused him to act like this then it had to be really bad.
“I-I… wet the bed until 5th grade…”
…
Byakuya couldn’t help himself before he bended over on himself (in the process pushing Makoto off of him) and attempted to cover his mouth. “Attempted” was rich as he hadn’t made much of an effort to hide the fact that he found this extremely funny.
Although for the hand being held over his mouth he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “That was your secret?!” He gasped after getting all his amusement out, smiling at Makoto as he was hiding his head in his arms, refusing to look at Byakuya. “You’re an idiot”
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Byakuya stared blanky up at the ceiling of his dark room, lying stilly in bed the emotions of the day dawned on him dearly. Yet he wouldn’t allow himself to cry, not after everything. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.
But Byakuya was weak when it came down to Makoto. He didn’t even realize the tears as they began to fall down his cheeks. Replays of every memory with Makoto flooded his mind, if he could describe it in any way he would describe the feeling as suffocating. Knowing that Makoto did that to himself. Knowing that he had the chance to maybe, just maybe stop him from going ahead with his death.
Yet the chance fell right through his fingers. Now all that was left was the memories. No matter how much he tried Byakuya couldn’t get the sound of his voice out of his head, Makoto’s sweet laugh as he talked about something he was passionate about. Makoto’s voice as he told an embarrassing story. Makoto’s voice as the two of them were all that mattered to either.
The tears seemed to create a puddle on his pillow before he knew it. What else could he do?
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
“What are you doing here?” Byakuya’s voice poisonous as he glanced at Makoto who was standing outside Byakuya’s dorm room.
“I- I just wanted to talk to you-“
“Why?” The tension was tense as the two stared at each other, one side filled with venom and the other carried guilt.
Makoto swallowed his words and stood there silently, glancing down at his own shoes. Byakuya felt a sense of guilt from seeing Makoto like this. However no matter how much he felt this was wrong, he couldn’t deny the fact that Makoto was the class traitor.
“Why would you come back to me? Even after you’ve been revealed as the traitor. Why do you think I want to see you?” He spoke without emotion before he began to close the door on Makoto. Before being stopped just before by a foot in blocking the way.
“You can hate me. I- I know but I… Everything I did and talked to you about… it was genuine. And- and I…”
“Go away Naegi.”
“You mean so much to me, please-“
He was cut off by the slamming of the dorm room door. Byakuya, instead of going back to whatever he was doing prior, he sighed and slid himself down the door, sitting down and tilting his head up to the ceiling.
He would talk to Makoto tomorrow, when his mind was clearer.